“Meh,” some of us think when we look at certain rooms in our homes. Maybe the emotions are stronger. We feel frustration and discouragement. In our social media world so saturated with the lives and spaces of others, I certainly look around my house sometimes (hello, play room and little girl room) and feel overwhelmed and confused at where to begin uncovering the beauty that I want to live in.
With our present economy as it is, the financial component is daunting as well. Most of us are looking at our spending in a new way, and the potential cost of redecorating a room is understandably hard to reckon with.
After considering how I approach clients’ and friends’ spaces prior to decorating, however, I realized there are a several things we can all do to refresh an interior. They are simple but meaningful, renewing appreciation for the room and its features.
1. Clean and organize.
Thanks to Marie Kondo’s book and Netflix series and the book The Home Edit among other helpful guides, this step seems more and more present in our culture’s awareness. Still, I forget sometimes how helpful cleaning out and cleaning up can be. When there’s a room in my home that’s starting to irritate me, I try to give it a good dusting and vacuum and general tidy-up. If there are any non-essentials or plastic things—technology, toys, etc.—I store them away out of sight. Seeing the room again in a simplified and orderly state helps me recognize its beauty again and takes away some of the irritation, so that, if some redecorating is called for, I can approach it more objectively and thoughtfully. When the room is tidy, I see that the furniture balance is off or there are a few too many bare patches of wall. I can see more clearly the elements that call for change. Those gorgeous interiors we see in magazines are always tidy and fairly organized, and this is one achievable step in their direction.
2. While you’re organizing, purge what is not beautiful or useful to you.
We talk about editing our wardrobes and giving away pieces that we no longer wear, and we can go through our homes in a similar way. Where are my back-of-the-closet home goods?
Which thing did I buy because I thought it’d make my house feel a certain way, but I didn’t actually connect to it? Are there some items I bought out of utility but never cared for? Any that I bought only because they were cheap? Am I holding on to a piece that no longer suits my vocation? No matter the item—vase, artwork, chair, toy—we can evaluate whether it is “beautiful or useful,” as William Morris famously stipulated and receive the freedom to—depending on condition—throw or give it away. If the items are no longer useful or necessary but hard to get rid of, we might need to consider why we are holding on to them, and be compassionate toward ourselves. At times, upon recognizing pieces that do serve a purpose but aren’t reflective of my style, I resolve to find a different solution and give them away anyway. This process usually takes me a while and involves many piles around the house, but those piles lead to self-awareness and freedom. They clarify the relationship between our interiors and our interior lives. They make way for the new.
3. Take note of the architectural interest.
Crafting beautiful interiors is partly the art of noticing the basic features of a space and either enhancing them or just giving them more notice. When we’ve removed the clutter and the unnecessary, we should be able to see more clearly. Where are the moments in the room—the areas that hold a unique kind of beauty? Which corners and nooks call to you or seem to communicate their purpose almost inexplicably? For example, in our main bedroom, there is a small space between two closets with a window. Upon seeing it for the first time, I thought immediately it should be home to the vintage writing desk I bought in college. Maybe there’s a window or two whose placement instill a sense of balance or old wood floors with a patina that need a few pieces of furniture removed so they can be appreciated. In newer houses which can lack some of the architectural charm but tend to have more open layouts, the beauty might be in the sense of space and expansion. Although this step reveals the opportunities for improvement, it also reveals the value and importance of what already is.
4. Rearrange if helpful.
With a renewed awareness of the room’s features, a little feng shui might be in order.
When rearranging, aim to complement the room’s shape and orientation. Similarly, the human eye is attracted to and uplifted by balance and order, so try to create a central focal point.
In a dining room, the table provides that central visual, whereas in a traditional living room, the sofa or fireplace occupy that role. The other pieces can center around that focus and balance each other in height and foot print.
5. Go shopping around your house.
I hope this is the fun part. Look around your home for pieces that could be rearranged or relocated to your project room. Just moving things around breathes new life into a room. Try moving lamps, accent chairs and tables, vases, plants, artwork. As I write this, I am noticing little accent pieces that I am interested to try elsewhere around my house. In contrast with the message of purging, for that piece that you do love but haven’t find a home for, here’s an opportunity to try it again. It’s not that the piece isn’t right but that it hasn’t found the right place.
5. If there are a few items still needed, shop used and thrifted.
Although living in bareness and simplicity is valuable, this process might reveal a few pieces that our homes require to function better: some kind of seating by the front door, another table by this couch, a rug to make this room quieter, curtains for privacy. Or at times, I find that a space just needs a bit more beauty: a few pieces of art, a plant, a pillow, or vase. When I don’t want to spend much on such things at the moment, I keep an eye on thrift stores, garage sales, and Facebook Marketplace; these are often avenues to finding great quality at affordable prices. Albeit this method requires patience, but finding the perfect piece at a fraction of the cost is such a delight.
Decorating or redecorating a room is never a small feat, and doing it on a budget is even more challenging. These little actions might help. So much of art and living well is learning again and again how to see.
